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Disney's Castle of Illusion lowers the bridge for Mac this week
It's not a trick, Michael, it's Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, and it's out this week on Mac. The 2013 remake of Disney's classic platformer hits the platform on Thursday, July 24, courtesy of Feral Interactive. It's priced $15 in the US and £10 across the pond. In our four-star review, Danny Cowan deemed Castle of Illusion a "very successful remake." In his words, the new incarnation "captures the original's unique style while expanding on it in a meaningful way, without burdening the experience with unnecessary additions or other concessions to the Disney license. Castle of Illusion is blessed with a magic that transcends licensing, and 20 years after its initial release, it's still a damn fine platformer." [Image: Disney]
Castle of Illusion free on PlayStation Plus this week
Mickey Mouse tackles a remade 16-bit classic this week on PlayStation Plus, as the PlayStation 3 version of Sega's Castle of Illusion is this week's featured entry in Sony's Instant Game Collection. Developed by Sega Studios Australia, Castle of Illusion expands on Mickey's classic platformer with new exploration elements, 3D platforming sequences, and retooled boss encounters. The result retained the playful spirit of its inspiration, earning 4 out of 5 stars in our review. The PlayStation Plus version of Castle of Illusion also includes a downloadable copy of the 1990 Sega Genesis edition of the game, previously available exclusively for pre-order buyers. PlayStation Plus members can download Castle of Illusion for free starting tomorrow, and the bundle will remain available through April 28. [Image: Sega]
PS Plus in April: Mercenary Kings, Arkham City, Pixeljunk Monsters
PlayStation Plus subscribers get Mercenary Kings as a PS4 freebie when the Kickstarted run-and-gunner scrolls onto PSN next week. Developed by Wizorb and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World studio Tribute Games, Mercenary Kings makes its Metal Slug-style action interesting by chucking in a weapon crafting system based around hundreds of different parts. The rest of April's Plus line-up in North America features Batman: Arkham City, Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark, and the Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse remake on PS3. As for Vita, Velocity Ultra and Pixeljunk Monsters Ultimate HD are next month's dynamic duo. Except for Mercenary Kings, the roster of PS Plus games in Europe is totally different: On PS3 it's Pro Evo Soccer 2014 and on Vita it's MotoGP 13, while Hotline Miami and Sly Cooper Thieves in Time are unlockable on both platforms as Cross-Buy games. That means if you get the PS3 version of Sly on Plus, for example, you'll also get access to it on Vita. Devolver Digital recently revealed Hotline Miami is coming to the PS4 with Cross-Buy enabled, so if you're planning to get the top-down kill-fest on that platform, be sure to grab it as a Plus freebie this month. The quintet including Mercenary Kings join Europe's Plus collection on April 2. [Image: Tribute Games]
Castle of Illusion review: Once upon a mouse
Longtime video game fans speak fondly of the "Disney magic" that made for great platformers throughout the '80s and '90s. As recent efforts demonstrate, however, licensing is only a small part of the equation. The reality is that many memorable platformers – including DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, and yes, Castle of Illusion – took severe liberties with Disney's characters and canon, leading to unexpected innovation. This approach may not sit well with brand managers today, but it made for great video games. Modern-day developers of Disney platformers often lean heavily on the license in the hopes of repeating previous successes, but their attempts have come up short. 2012's Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion for the Nintendo 3DS cited direct inspiration from Sega's 16-bit classic, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, but its gameplay was burdened with endless dialogue and ill-fitting Disney cameos. More recently, DuckTales: Remastered attempted to add more character to Capcom's beloved classic with frequent cutscenes, trampling the perfect pacing of the original game. Sega's HD update of Castle of Illusion throws the failings of Disney's recent platformers into sharp relief, exposing the pitfalls of brand-driven remakes while demonstrating a love and reverence for its source material. Castle of Illusion is both a great remake and a showcase for the key elements that make up a successful platformer.
Castle of Illusion hopping to PSN September 3, XBLA and PC September 4
Sega's Castle of Illusion remake will launch on September 3 for PS3, then arrive on XBLA and PC the next day, September 4. The platformer will set players back 1200 MSP, or $14.99 in North America, and will cost £ 9.99 and €14.99 in Europe. Sega also announced that those pre-ordering the game through PSN will receive the original Genesis version of Castle of Illusion for free, along with one theme and three avatars. What's more, the Genesis game will be available for download right after you pre-order the HD remake, so those finding the wait for the new version excruciating can feel a little more at ease.
Castle of Illusion scrubs up decades-old graphics and sound
This seven-minute behind the scenes trailer for the HD remake of Sega Genesis platformer Castle of Illusion gives a sense of the updating that went into the 23-year-old game's art and sound. It's not as cool as a "duckumentary," but it's still pretty neat.
Navigating the Castle of Illusion with a 3D Mickey Mouse
When players look back on the platformers of yore, it's easy to forget one important thing about them: They're tough. Modern platformers allow infinite retries and plentiful checkpoints, but old-school platformers, like Disney's Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, required precise jumps over one-hit enemies and sent you back to the beginning of a level, or even the game itself, when all your lives were lost. Sega has preserved that difficulty in the remastered version of the game, as seen on the floor of E3 2013 last week. Sega Studios Australia has teamed up with the original game's creator, Emiko Yamamoto (who still works for Disney in Japan), to recreate the game in 3D and add new elements. %Gallery-191375%
Castle of Illusion video looks back at the original platformer
This behind-the-scenes video for Castle of Illusion shows the developers at Sega reflecting back on the original game and how some of its elements will translate to the remake currently in development. Castle of Illusion is coming to PS3, PC and Xbox 360 this summer.
Banjo-Kazooie composer creating soundtrack for Castle of Illusion remake
Grant Kirkhope, composer of many standout soundtracks during the Nintendo 64 era, revealed via tweet that he is putting the finishing touches on a collection of tracks for Sega's coming remake of Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse. Kirkhope began working with developer Rare in 1995, producing music for GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, among other games. Kirkhope's first solo composition project, Banjo-Kazooie, remains one of the N64's best-known and widely acclaimed soundtracks. Kirkhope also wrote Donkey Kong 64's unforgettable "DK Rap." You might say that he's one hell of a guy. Castle of Illusion HD Starring Mickey Mouse will premiere on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC this summer.
Castle of Illusion remake out this summer on PS3, Xbox, and PC
An HD remake of the Sega Genesis platformer Castle of Illusion has been officially announced for summer 2013. Mickey Mouse stars in this revitalized Disney adventure, which joins Capcom and WayForward's Ducktales Remastered on modern systems. According to PlayStation Blog, the game is being developed by Sega Studios Australia, which will reportedly be shuttered by year's end. The new Castle of Illusion will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC via Steam. %Gallery-185685%
Castle of Illusion teaser trailer is all dark and stormy
Sega sent out a teaser trailer for what could only be a re-release of Castle of Illusion, the classic Disney platformer developed by Sega's Shinobi Team for the Sega Genesis. Ratings for the re-release surfaced last month, a mere week before Capcom announced WayForward's remake of another classic Disney platformer, Ducktales Remastered.In the trailer above, we can spot the same wind-up soldier toy enemies from the original, not to mention Mizrabel herself, the main shape-shifting villain of Castle of Illusion. The teaser trailer ends with "summer 2013," presumably as a launch window and not the time when Sega plans to announce what we already know.
